The Private Diary of Raoul of Goldenlake
by Knight Mistress
Summary: Now, I have a message for you, the person reading this. If you had the nerve to come into my tent while I was going riding or something, that means you, Dom,  then I will personally find out and kill you. I am the commander, and I can do whatever I want.
1. Day One

Dear Diary-journal! I meant journal. (Why is my hand compelled to write things like this?)

I got diary-journal, (Why is it so hard to write journal?) from a man in the King's Own today. I could have sworn it was a faint white while he gave it to me. Ugh. He probably spelled this so that I would be compelled to write all my feelings in it. Don't tell Jon, Alanna, Gary or anyone else I spent my page hood with. They are so going to give me a hard time about it.

Now, I have a message for you, the person reading this. If you had the nerve to come into my tent while I was going riding or something, (That means you, Dom) then I will personally find out and kill you. I am the commander, and I can do whatever I want. (Although Jon told me I can't kill more then three people a month. Sigh.)

Today, I went looking at the palace. Jon had called me on important business.

I remember walking up to his door. "Jon?" I called. "You asked for me."

"Come in." He said in his usual tone. Nothing seemed wrong from the sound of his voice, usually, when we dealt with Scanrans, his voice would get all grave, so I hoped for the best.

I walked in and mentally groaned. Alanna was sitting right in there, looking red and flustered, like her and Jon had an argument. "Alanna, what did you do now?" I cried and she glared at me. "You'll hear from the _King_ soon enough."

Jon shook his head. "She's just angry that she can't be knight master-" Alanna coughed. "Excuse me, knight mistress, to Keladry to Mindelan." Alanna stood. "I mean, it's not _fair_. She's had to spend four years as a page surrounded by boys." Jon shook his head. "Alanna, you know that that won't be possible. If you didn't have the gift, then maybe I could make something work."

Alanna grumbled as Jon said, "Raoul, I would like to make a deal. Alanna here promised to kill me in the most horrible way possible on the practice courts if I didn't do something." Jon leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "She probably means it. We both know her." I nodded, knowing Alanna's temper.

Jon leaned back into his chair once more, and tugged at the collar of his shirt. "To keep my head attached to my neck, I propose a deal. Raoul, I would like you to be knight master to Keladry of Mindelan, and Alanna, you can be knight mistress to her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove."

We both protested. "Jon, I haven't taken a squire for a while now!"

"I can't take her best friend! Then, she'll feel like her best friend gets all the special attention or whatever."

Jon sighed. "This will work, I promise."

"Jon-"

"I command you both to stop this at once. We have more important matters to discuss." He said with a look at Alanna.

"You started it." She muttered under her breath, pouting and not looking up.

I sighed. "Alanna, Jon, what happened now?"

Jon quickly explained. "Alanna decided that she was going to wear breeches and a tunic to the ball a few nights ago." He said with a glare to Alanna, who shrugged. "Dresses and corsets are uncomfortable." She explained.

"So?" I prodded, not really finding anything wrong with that situation.

"Looking like a knight, she got unsuspecting court ladies to dance with her. Then, she, erm, managed to seduce them, which I'm not sure is possible." Jon said.

I raised an eyebrow at Alanna. "It's like old times." She grumbled. "I hate dances, Jon."

"When the ladies found out, I was in some very hot water."

"So?" Alanna questioned.

"Alanna, can't you understand that you are the King's Champion and have to look and be presentable." He complained.

Alanna shrugged again. "That's your problem, not mine."

"Alanna-" But she had already walked out the door.

"Jon, I better be going too. Gotta go check out some squires."

Jon put his head in his hands. "Fine. Remember Keladry of Mindelan."

I stifled a smile. Knowing Jon, he would probably explode the next time he saw Alanna._ I will have to make note not to get involved in this. _

I walked down the palace halls, looking for Keladry. A boy stepped out of his room in the hallway I was in and bowed at first sight of me.

"My Lord Raoul of Goldenlake." He said crisply with a bow. "I am Joren of Stone Mountain."

I returned the smile and my first thought was, _Wow. What a beautiful boy- Wait Raoul, don't think those kind of things! _And I shook off the thought.

"What can I do for you, Squire Joren?"

"Nothing sir. I would just like to tell you something, though."

"Hmm?"

"If you plan on having a squire, don't pick Keladry of Mindelan. Believe me, she isn't worth it sir."

I tried to hid my startled look. "I will take your advice, Squire Joren."

He bowed. "Thank you, my Lord." Joren walked quickly out of the hallway, and I walked in the opposite direction.

_Perhaps he doesn't like Keladry. Oh well, I will have to see for myself. _

Memories of Keladry came back to me then, at that moment while I was in the hallway of the palace.

The spindren hunt. Her sparrows taking the lead.

Seeing her joust.

Her overly big gelding, who looks as if he wants to kill her best friend.

The way she serves at Midwinter.

The way that she is the only girl.

The girl.

From the Yamani Islands.

It all hit me now. I couldn't remember a thing about her, but when I stood in those hallways, it all returned.

I walked outside to see Squire Keladry practicing on her gelding. I stood by the fence and watched. She didn't notice until I said, "Looks like you're getting pretty good at it."

She turned at me, startled. "Thank you, my Lord." Keladry managed to gasp out. I smiled.

"I don't think I could of managed that on that horse of yours. What's his name, Peach, or something?"

She smiled. "Peachblossom, my Lord."

"Right. Peachblossom the Destroyer." That got a laugh from her. "Keladry-"

"My Lord, please call me Kel."

"Kel, I know this is sudden, but would you like to be my squire?"

She looked at me with genuine spark. _What if someone already asked her? _I almost freaked out, but she said, "I would be honored to." Kel slid off her horse, and grabbed the bridle, walking to the stables.

"Meet me here, tomorrow!" I called after her and I could barely see her head bob.

_So that's done. Maybe I should go ask Alanna about her punishment. _

I thought, but decided that that could wait for a later time.

So here I am, writing in this diary-journal. (I honestly think that it's spelled so that I say 'diary'. Wait-doesn't Dom have the Gift?)

Raoul

**A/N: I'm probably going to have it be short diary-journal, (now it happens to me! Dom!) entries about what Raoul is thinking about when he gets Kel for a squire and everything that happens.**


	2. Day Two

Dear Diary, journal! (Hmph, it still isn't working, is it?)

Today I managed to catch Dom in my tent reading this. . . this work.

"Dom!" I shouted. "What are you doing?"

He jumped, for I had startled him and he dropped the diary (journal!) out of his hands back onto my desk. "My Lord, I was just looking for a . . " His eyes scanned the tent. "A book on sword fighting techniques. Here it is!" He grabbed a random book of my desk and when I looked closer, it was a book on knighthood.

"So, you're going to learn how to sword fight better with a book on knighthood?" I asked with one eyebrow raised.

He looked down at the cover of the book. Dom probably had to mentally slap himself for that one. "Yes my Lord. I was interested on how they, erm, swordfight."

"Sure Dom." I said and he rushed from my room. _Ugh. So it was someone in the Own that spelled this. _I thought and took the diary, journal, off my desk. I was going to have to hide it. I searched for the best spot. Not under the bed.

_Perhaps the bottom of the weapons case. None of the men in the Own will go there because they know not to touch my weapons. _I thought smartly and opened the lid. Swords were scattered and mixed in with daggers, knives, arrows and bows. I tried to move everything aside without it hurting me and put the cursed box, (didn't say diary-journal! Arg!) at the very bottom.

Even though I was careful, I managed to scratch my hands a bit. Qasim came in right after I was finished. I could tell he wanted to say something about my hands, but he stopped himself.

"Raoul, Squire Kel is waiting for you. She said that you told her that you would meet her back in the jousting area." I nodded, for that was correct.

"Tell her I'll be right there." Qasim nodded and went off. I slowly followed and met Kel at the same place as yesterday.

"Do you have all your things packed up?" I asked and she nodded, for they were slung in bags over both her shoulders.

"Come with me, then!" I said cheerfully and she followed. _Not very talkative._

I led her to the stables, where I had picked her out a horse. One of Wyldon of Cavall's finest, I should say. This mare had been one of his bests.

"I thought you might like her. She's one of the finest." Kel, her eyes glazed with awe, nodded. I laughed. "Go on it, then. Check her out."

Kel obeyed as I added, "I thought you might want another horse in case you don't want to ride that vicious gelding of yours."

"He's not that bad. Although he doesn't like my best friend very much. Daine says that Peachblossom thinks Neal is an easy target." She said softly as she ran her hands over the flank of the mare.

I watched as she inspected the horse, checking the legs, stomach and flank, and then deciding that she would work. "I'll name her Hoshi." Kel said, touching the white star on the mare's forehead. "It means 'star' in Yamani."

I smiled. "Hoshi's yours, Kel. Bring the devil of yours next to her." I said as she left to go get her horse.

_Hmm. I think she'll do just fine. But what about what that Joren kid said?_

Kel came back, just then and brought Peachblossom into the stall next to Hoshi's. "All right Kel, follow me. I'm going to have to see what shape your weapons are in and such."

She nodded and followed me. I left her with Qasim in her rooms to get her weapons. Flyn came up to me then as I was walking to my office. "My Lord, I would like to bring something to attention." He said and I beckoned him into my office.

"Raoul, the girl cannot stay." I looked at him. "Do you have a good reason why?"

He shuffled his feet on the ground. "Women can't be warriors."

"What about Alanna the Lioness?"

"Just a fluke, mistake."

"She's not mistake! I trained with her, remember?"

Flyn turned a bright red. "My Lord, she isn't a good choice-"

I cut him off. "I know she'll do fine. What about the spindren hunt?"

He shrugged. "The sparrows knew. It wasn't her."

"Flyn-" I said, my voice raising, but then Kel came in through the door.

"My Lord." She said, bowing to me and nodded to Flyn.

"All right Kel. I'm going to need to see your sword." She handed it over and I whistled. "Raven Armory." Kel nodded. _I think I know where she got it from. _

I handed it back. "Longbow or crossbow?"

"Longbow, sir." She handed that over and I inspected it too. _She's got the best. _

"Now, what of a weapon that's more long distance, perhaps a staff or something?"

Kel looked down. "My Lord, if you would excuse me. I need to go retrieve it." I nodded, dismissing her.

Flyn started right after she left. "Where'd you think she got the sword from? Stole it, perhaps?"

I shook my head. "If my sources are correct, then I presume she got it from-"

Kel walked in the door holding something that looked like a pig-sticker. "Umm.. Kel, what's that?"

She smiled. "It's a glaive, sir. All of the Yamani women are trained with it."

Flyn snorted. "Looks kind of flimsy to me."

Kel raised her eyebrows and handed it to him. Flyn, not expecting the weight, almost dropped it. "What is this thing?" He gasped as Kel took it back.

"Can you use it?" I asked, my eyes laughing._ It's not like Flyn to act like this. He deserved that. _

She nodded. "I'm going to need some space." I pulled my desk back, while Flyn pushed it. We all backed up.

Kel started some sort of dance with the glaive. It whirled, making noises in the wind. "Doubt she good enough now?" I whispered to Flyn.

He didn't say anything.

Kel stopped the pattern dance after a while. "That should do." I said. "Qasim will check your daggers and armor, and make sure you have enough clothes and such."

She smiled. "My Lord, one more thing?"

"Hmm?"

"What's that book in your weapon's chest that says 'Diary'?"

I groaned. "Nothing. Just a gift from a sick member of the Own."

"Sick?"

"Mentally insane."

She laughed as Qasim led her out the door. Flyn raised an eyebrow at me. "Diary, Raoul?"

"It's nothing." I snapped and he left. _I really have to hide that in a better spot. _

Raoul

**A/N: Enjoy! (Poor Raoul, everyone's teasing him about having a diary. xD)**


End file.
